motherhood • wifehood • workhood

My evening with Sister Mediums

I believe in spirit. I believe that there are signs from spirit all around us. I believe that my Nonna E often comes to visit me, in the form of a white butterfly. I believe that occasionally, when I get a whiff of Pears soap and it’s a sign from my Nonna A just saying hi.

So, when my sister-in-law heard that our cake girl (yes, we have one) is a medium, she asked me to get tickets. So, I did.

Yes, I’ve had a psychic reading before. Twice. And twice neither of these people told me anything new, or enlightening about my life. In fact, I don’t hold much stock in the card readers or late night crystal ball readers. But there is something about a medium that intrigued me, no matter how much I know that the Long Island Medium isn’t real. (ask my husband to do an impression of her, it’s spot-on).

But the idea of going to a small, live event was interesting. I’m open to knowing if I’m making those signs up or not. And I know my sister-in-law is too, so we went to an Evening of Mediumship event with the Sister Mediums.

Daniela and Julie are sisters (hence the name), and have this beautiful gift to speak to spirit. Through their blessing, they can offer messages of healing and connection to those who have passed.

I wanted my sister-in-law’s past loved one to come through for her, so all day leading up to the event, I tried to keep that in my head, and prayed that would happen.

We were part of a group of about 30 women (and one gentleman) and while Daniela and Julie received messages, people around me connected to those messages. It was beautiful to watch a woman be connected with her grandmother, or another connect to her daughter. It’s hard to keep from crying as you can see the surprise on people’s faces, and the realization that the messages came through these women, rather than from them and they knew things they couldn’t possibly know.

Halfway through the evening, Julie walked over to my side of the room, and while Daniela was delivering a message, she just stood there writing on a piece of paper. She asked about a grandfather or older father figure with tanned skin. Skin that was tanned from the love of the outdoors or from working outside for long hours. She asked about tools and about said there was something with the number five. Something in my stomach tightened, and I knew she was speaking of my Nonno. She kept looking at me, so I put my hand up and tears came to my eyes. I told her that sounded like my grandfather and that five was the number of his kids.

She held her hand to her chest and said that there was something with his lungs and said he was a smoker. I confirmed with a nod, as I’m not sure I could actually speak. And she then nodded and said he was a very heavy smoker. Yes, he was. And she said he had to stop rather abruptly, to which I confirmed yes.

She asked me who didn’t get to say goodbye, and I told her it was my father. We were on our way back to his house when he passed away.

There were messages Daniela received at that moment, but they weren’t connected to me or my grandfather, so I thought I was done. And I was grateful and had time to absorb that my Nonno was there. I never had a sign or symbol for him after his passing. Never really knowing if he was with me, and was so grateful for that moment.

However once Daniela was done with her message for some other guests, Julie came back to me and said my grandfather was still with her. She asked me what the number 27 meant. I didn’t know. She said he kept showing her that number. I thought back to when he died and said that I may have been 27 when he passed away, but couldn’t think straight to figure it out.

I looked up the date of my grandfather’s date following the evening, and he died in March 2002, one month before I turned 28. So, I was in fact 27 when he died.

She said she saw him working outdoors and in a big garden, which was exactly what he liked to do. She mentioned his “green beans” however I only remember him connected to tomatoes. She said that he was a city worker, and that is why he had a tan and said he was whistling. She mentioned his old weathered belt and I laughed at the memory of him pretending to be mad and motioning to take it off. He never would have done anything with it, but that just confirmed that it was him. And then she said she saw white butterflies all around me and I almost fell off my chair.

You see the white butterfly is my Nonna E. I told Julie and Daniela the story of my grandmother’s funeral where in the middle of the church, in the middle of her funeral, a white butterfly appeared and landed on her casket and then flew up into the ray of sunshine coming through the windows.

The entire church was speechless after witnessing that final sign my grandmother sent us all. The room was just as quiet when I told the story. For Julie to see that around me, made me cry.

She said that he didn’t have a message for me, he was just there. I found comfort in that, as that was sort of how he was in life. He was there.

She asked me if I broke a glass recently and at first I said no, but then remembered breaking a ceramic dish in my parent’s garage and she smiled and said that was him. I told her that I didn’t really have a symbol for my grandfather, and she confirmed that he’s there with me, and his symbol could be combined with the butterfly with my grandmother. They are together.

Finally, she asked me who Frank and Umberto were. This is where I got stumped, as I don’t have a Frank in my family, and I don’t know an Umberto. It was very possible it was one of his friends, however I don’t remember. She told me to know that he was a happy man, who loved his family and was content to be standing with us tonight. And then she said that he kept touching his hat, but she didn’t know the name of the type of hat he was wearing. She described what I already knew was his “poor boy” hat. The style of hat my father has now taken to wearing.

The next day, I told my parents about my evening. As expected, my father was very skeptical saying that information can be found anywhere. (You know, there is the world-wide web out there!) And I get that.

In full disclosure, I mentioned that Daniela baked the Little Bird’s Communion cake. But what brought me to Daniela in the first place was that we met years ago (22 years ago to be exact). I went of a group trip to Acapulco, Mexico and Daniela was friends with the girls I went with. We all went to the clubs together, but that was the extent of our interaction. I didn’t speak to her about life, or family or even hang out with these girls for very long after we got back.

Fast forward to 2013, and I started following her cake company, and years after that I realized that I had crossed paths with her before. That’s how she came to make the Communion cake for me and the Communion and Confirmation cakes for my nephews. (If you ever need a cake, be sure to check her out at It’s a Cake Thing)

So despite that connection, I firmly believe, there is no way she knew this level of detail of my life, or my grandfathers. And I had never met her sister Julie before.

Daniela and Julie: Sister Mediums (picture used with permission)

It was Julie who received the message and my grandfather. There were details in the story that I’ve never spoken of. Things I wasn’t even sure of, like being 27. But when I asked my parents who Umberto was, both my parents faces changed. Umberto was my grandfather’s brother. I never knew that. I only knew of a brother named Mario. So, I asked my father, if I didn’t know that, how did the Daniela and Julie know that?

I never got an answer from my father.

I told my dad he could believe whatever he wanted. My mother believed it. And I found comfort in the fact that he is with me. The only grandfather I ever knew, the man who sat strongly at the head of the table, and at the head of our family is with me.

I am grateful for attending that evening. There is true comfort and a real blessing to have that connection confirmed. I thank the Sister Mediums for a beautiful evening and encourage you to contact them if you are looking for that connection. Even if you don’t have a loved one come through, the experience of being surrounded by those messages is a beautiful thing.